Have you ever been interested in doing a needs assessment but didn’t know where
to start? Or do you struggle to distinguish between assessing needs and just
asking people what they want? On July 11th and 12th I will be offering a
two-day workshop on needs assessment at The Evaluator’s Institute
<http://tei.cgu.edu/courses/analytic-approaches/> in Washington DC. In the
course you will learn how address these and other common challenges in
conducting effective needs assessments. The workshop has a strong focus on the
frameworks, processes, tools and techniques that you can use to assess needs in
a variety of organizational and country contexts.
Course Description:
The earliest decisions that lead to projects or programs are among the most
critical in determining long-term success. This phase of project development
transforms exciting ideas into project proposals, thereby setting the stage for
a variety of actions that will eventually lead (if all goes well) to desirable
results. Decisions ranging from a propose a sanitation project in South Asia or
North Florida to selecting approaches that strengthen school management in
South America or Eastern Kentucky, are the early decisions that form the
starting place of evaluation results.
Needs assessments support this earliest phase of project development with
proven approaches to gathering information and making justifiable decisions. In
a two-day workshop, learn how needs assessment tools and techniques help you
identify, analyze, prioritize, and accomplish the results you really want to
achieve. Filled with practical strategies, tools, and guides, the workshop
covers both large-scale, formal needs assessments and less-formal assessments
that guide daily decisions. The workshop blends rigorous methods and realistic
tools that can help you make informed and reasoned decisions. Together, these
methods and tools offer a comprehensive, yet realistic, approach to identifying
needs and selecting among alternative paths forward.
Going beyond simple surveys, learn how to apply creative and engaging
techniques and tools that clarify objectives and lead to innovative solutions.
In this workshop we will focus on the pragmatic application of many needs
assessment tools, giving participants the opportunity to practice their skills
while learning how needs assessment techniques can improve the achievement of
desired results. With participants from a variety of sectors and organizational
roles, the workshop will illustrate how needs assessments can be of value in a
variety of operational, capacity development, and staff learning functions.
Hopefully I will see some of you, or your colleagues, July.
Ryan
Ryan Watkins, Ph.D.
Professor, George Washington University
Consultant, World Bank Group
Websites:
www.NeedsAssessment.org <http://www.needsassessment.org/> (all things needs
assessment)
www.RyanRWatkins.com <http://www.ryanrwatkins.com/> (resume, books, articles,
etc.)
www.WeShareScience.com <http://www.wesharescience.com/> (an online science fair)
Follow @WeShareScience on Twitter <https://twitter.com/WeShareScience>
Follow WeShareScience on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/wesharescience>
